About the band

The Solo project named ‘Āter‘ started back in 1996, I bought my first guitar at 13 (my birthyear and month are January 1983) and that’s when I learned (more or less) how to play, first by earn, then by theory. Before that I had been playing piano and keyboard since I was 11.

Nothing much came of it, I learned to play most by tabs of bands I liked like Cradle of Filth, Emperor and Rage Against the Machine (very good practice for rhythm and timing) and I started writing songs. Then I searched for bands and bandmembers but usually nobody stayed long enough, they were young and impatient and wanted fame almost immediately. So I kept on writing solo until I met my good friend Mantorok (is the name he chose to go by), he later actually went to join Mortuum. He helped me write the EP titled ‘Valkennacht’ but insisted his role was only a session member. Then all the tapes were gone and my computer destroyed by a flooding in my house and all files were lost. By a huge clean-up later I found them back on a broken hard disk and recovered them, that was 2004, and I replayed the bass parts since they were hardly heard in the mix.

You have to keep in mind we were very young at the time and things like interfaces were very new and unknown to us so even the vocals were recorded with a cheap handheld mic in a public bathroom to create natural reverb while my friend held the door..haha. We just didn’t know any better.

Since then I have been playing In countless bands, gigging, touring, some as session vocalist, sometimes as lyricist, sometimes involved in writing, but the last band was Lemuria, I toured and played with them for 4 or 5 years I believe, it was a very pleasant but enormously energy consuming time since they did the genius musical work and I did all the promo and marketing in my spare time, actually 140% of my spare time which involved taking the car to actually meet bandmembers (of other bands) and promotors to discuss packages and get us on the road for fair prices. Next to that I answered every fanmail myself and spent a ton of time in just finding the right combination of partners and bands to work with to gain interest in the scene and to promotors in general. In that regard I believe I succeeded., Lemuria grew rather quickly. This was also the reason Āter kind of went into slumber for all these years.

But since a heavy accident in August 2017 I was in and out of hospitals for 6 months, getting random attacks, seizures, literally falling dead on the floor…. The doctors didn’t find out why and weren’t even sure if I would ever recover, until someone noticed traces of a hematoma in my brain, caused by the accident and he came forward with the theory that this swelling must have been huge at some point and did some nerve damage in my brain, that would have been the ‘dropping dead’ and ‘collapse and seizure reasons’.

Meanwhile the band moved on with another vocalist since they already booked the studio in December and I was unable to perform at their level due to my poor state of health, and since stated earlier, nobody knew how long my recovery would take, if there would be a recovery to speak of at all.

So, after an experimental treatment and seemingly getting better (around march 2018), I just HAD to do music again so I actually started a business and built a studio with the intention of doing session vocals (see “SERVICES” and facebook.com/vokillzforhire for more on that). A few random calls from promotors later, asking me to write my own material so I could gig for them made Āter came back from slumber and I am now re-releasing the old “lost” material, first digital (with artwork) and when the demand is there I’ll print a few 100 of them. Meanwhile I’m writing a third full length to be released under the banner of Āter.

The logo of Āter was created by Christophe Szpadjel who did the Emperor Logo, working with him was a pleasure, we are still doing business now. The final version was compiled with Wappenschmied, those two as a combo are a dream team. If any of you ever need a logo, get those to talk and get them to work and you WON’T be sorry!

This EP , the upcoming album and all merch having to do with Vokillz For Hire or Āter will be found under the “ORDER” section. Expect the EP within the first few weeks.

You can listen to a teaser of the upcoming -recorded almost 2 decades ago- EP (while I’m working on the new and full release of Āter) here: doere-wave

Updates on Āter all the time on:

I work as a professional live stand-in for various metal and alternative projects and session vocalist on location or from my own studio, delivering pro studio results. I have been working with (amongst others) Lemuria, September Syn, Fabulae Dramatis, persephone’s blade, Elusion. plenty before and plenty to come.

My services

Recording vocals & Writing lyrics

Session vocals on location, in your booked studio or in my own studio delivering pro quality, you get the files by mail or other transferring services. This can be one song, a complete album or simply backing vocals.

I also provide writing complete lyrics and vocal lines if those have not been taken care of before. Those will be added to the price.

(If lyrics and voice line + voice guide are included. 50 to learn the song, 50 for a preproduction, 50 to file of the rough edges and deliver you the final product:)

Price: €150 per song

Complete projects & Voice acting

When talking complete project/album prices of course we’ll negotiate a nice and fair discount, because that would simply be a preposterous price to pay, but I try to remain fair with everyone, so don’t be shy to start a conversation, I’m sure we can work things out.

Voice acting for movie, film, documentaries.

Price: to be discussed per project

How to improve your stage presence

Stage coach and training in ‘how to improve your stage presence’.

Ever feel ‘stuck’ on stage? Insecure? I’ll teach you, by years of experience on stage and touring, how to be ‘that frontman’ or ‘that frontwoman’ everybody looks up to or at least will never have shame and will with pride and passion be that front of the band.

Usually 1 session already takes you very far, the students I have had until today are quite happy and very rarely has there been need for a second session.

Price: €45 per session.

How to connect to your audience and keep them engaged

Training and coaching: ‘how to connect to your audience and keep them engaged’. Feeling lost for words? Having trouble speaking to large crowds?

Similar to ‘How to improve your stage presence’. I will give you tips and tricks to feel the confidence flowing and realise that this is acting, not a representation of you, but acting from in -and outside the deepest of your soul. An actor won’t care if his audience is busy otherwise, he will continue his craft and lay down his heart and soul into it. But still, there are tips and tricks to get the crowd’s attention and to keep it rolling. This can be a perfect add-on or even mixed with ‘how to improve your stage presence’.

Price: €45 per session

Updates on Vokillzforhire all the time on:

MEDIA

PHOTOS

VIDEOS

Lemuria - A Day of Reckoning

Lemuria - A Coming Storm

Fabulae Dramatis - Agnis Dynasty (Fire I)

Lemuria - Death & Submission

Fabulae Dramatis - Making of Agnis Dynasty

Lemuria - Gerstenat (The Last Sip)

Lemuria - The Conflict of Toulouse

Lemuria - Death & Submission

ORDER

The order of Āter…. To enter the order is to build your own road to the light, reach your highest potential, find the…. fuck that, shirts and cd’s and other cool stuff to be found here soon.